Talk about putting your vote where your mouth is.
All Arizona Legislative Republicans in the State House and State Senate gave a collective middle finger to reproductive freedom and women’s health care when State Senator Priya Sundareshan and House Representative Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton attempt to force votes on their sponsored bills on the Right to Contraception failed with no Republican Votes.
Stephanie Stahl Hamilton was also given the indignity of being warned that if she would be gaveled down if she mentioned the word contraceptive (REALLY) in her floor speech on the legislation.
One has to ask why Republicans in the House would fear the word contraceptive. What kind of Orwellian-Handmaids Tale society are they trying to impose on all of us with them selecting the words we can use to speak?
A society where, as Senator Borrelli said last week, women put aspirin between their legs for contraception.
Senator Sundareshan did not have any word restrictions placed on her during her comments when she offered:
“…Democrats will not back down in defending every Arizonans right to choose what is best for their family. Today is showing us while Democrats are trying to use every avenue to try to protect your right to contraception and to reproductive freedom, Republicans are willing to be a roadblock every single time. The Right to Contraception Act isn’t just a Democratic value. It is an American value.”
Later, both Senator Sundareshan and Representative Stahl Hamilton issued a joint statement, repeating many of the words they spoke in their respected chambers.
Senator Sundareshan wrote:
“I dropped the Right to Contraception Act in the Senate to protect the future of our children and their ability to make their own healthcare decisions. It is deeply disappointing that this bill never got placed on a committee agenda but today we can right that wrong and vote on it now. Democrats, in Arizona and across the country, unequivocally support safeguarding the right to contraception, reflecting our deep commitment to your personal autonomy and right to privacy. We’re dedicated to ensuring these choices stay between you and your healthcare provider, with no interference from the government.
Seeing all the red on this board, requires that I ask: Was all that talk about protecting contraceptives
a lie? If this body won’t vote to protect contraceptives now, then we know exactly what their sights are set on next.
To all those watching today, please know: Democrats will not back down in defending every Arizonans
right to choose what is best for their family.
Today has shown that while Democrats are willing to try every avenue to protect your right to contraception
and reproductive freedom, Republicans are willing to be a roadblock every single time.”
Representative Stahl Hamilton, free to use contraception in her written remarks, relayed:
“Because there is not a Federal Law protecting the right to contraception, it can be taken away. Some states have already introduced bills that could take away basic contraception like IUDs.
This bill deserves a vote because contraception is also a cornerstone of healthcare, offering more
than just pregnancy prevention. Democrats support reproductive freedom, and that means providing Arizonans the ability to control their future and how and when they choose to create their family. And the reality is, nearly every person in this state agrees with us…just not inside this chamber.
What a shame it is that a bill which simply states a person has the right to contraception – something
supported by more than 80 percent of people in the United States – couldn’t get a hearing this legislative session. I am honestly puzzled why we aren’t at a bi-partisan bill-signing ceremony right now rather than trying to compel a floor vote against the wishes of Republicans. This is an issue that clearly spans the partisan divide and could have been an easy win for both parties and – more importantly – our people. But that’s politics, I suppose.
In a moment like this I am proud to stand with my caucus and with all Arizona families and individuals
to defend their rights to make the healthcare decisions that are the best for them without government interference.”
Even the Biden/Harris Campaign is paying attention to the events happening at the Arizona State Legislature.
This is less than a week after Vice President Kamala Harris came to the Grand Canyon State touting the need to protect reproductive freedom.
In a statement from the campaign, Biden/Harris Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez, wrote:
“Trump ripped away the right to choose by overturning Roe v. Wade, and now his MAGA Republican allies are following his playbook by blocking efforts to protect birth control. These attacks on women’s freedoms are a direct result of Trump, who Americans rejected in 2020, and it’s why they’ll reject him again. Trump and his MAGA Republican allies are running on plans to ban abortion and attack contraception access in all 50 states, including in Arizona. Our campaign will continue to highlight the stakes of this election for women’s reproductive rights and make it clear the only way to protect access to reproductive health care and safeguard our freedom to choose is reelecting Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
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